25 October 2026
The Kerala government has sanctioned Rs 1,081 crore for the October round of welfare pensions. Of this, Rs 961.64 crore is for social security pensions and the remainder for welfare fund board pensions. The Chief Minister's office said distribution would begin on Monday, October 26. Social security pensions cover categories such as old age, widow, disability and agricultural labour pensions. Welfare fund board pensions are paid through statutory boards for particular trades and occupations.
Total sanctioned:
Rs 1,081 crore
Social security pension share:
Rs 961.64 crore
Distribution begins:
October 26
Why it matters for exams: Welfare pension outlays and their split between social security and welfare fund boards are standard Kerala PSC questions on state welfare finance.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
24 October 2026
The Travancore Devaswom Board informed the Kerala High Court that a laboratory would be set up at Pampa to test prasadam against Food Safety and Standards Authority of India parameters, including pesticide and toxin levels, before the Sabarimala pilgrimage season. The Division Bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan and K.V. Jayakumar was told that the Food Safety department would prepare a time-bound implementation plan. Accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories is to be obtained at the same time. Samples are at present sent to a laboratory in Thiruvananthapuram. The Food Safety department estimated the equipment cost at around Rs 2 crore to Rs 3 crore and said the laboratory would need an air-conditioned space of about 1000 sq. ft.
Estimated equipment cost:
Rs 2 crore to Rs 3 crore
Space required:
about 1000 sq. ft.
Location:
Pampa
Why it matters for exams: FSSAI parameters, NABL accreditation and the Travancore Devaswom Board's role at Sabarimala are regular Kerala PSC topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NABL National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories — The body that accredits testing laboratories in India.
24 October 2026
The Centre has sanctioned Rs 27 crore for a bridge over the Kabani river connecting Perikkalloor village in Wayanad district with Bairakkuppa in Karnataka. The bridge falls under the Sethubandhan scheme of the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund. Public Works Minister P K Basheer said construction would begin soon and that talks with Karnataka led to a no-objection certificate from that State. The foundation stone for the project was laid on September 24, 1994 by the then Chief Ministers K Karunakaran of Kerala and Veerappa Moily of Karnataka. The Public Works Department will handle land acquisition for approach roads on both sides, with Kerala bearing the cost. The bridge is expected to cut the road distance between Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad and Mysuru by about 40 km.
Amount sanctioned:
Rs 27 crore
River:
Kabani
Scheme:
Sethubandhan scheme of the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund
Foundation stone laid:
September 24, 1994
Why it matters for exams: Sethubandhan and the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund are named schemes, and inter-state bridge projects are asked in Kerala PSC geography and governance papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
CRIF Central Road and Infrastructure Fund — A central fund financing road and bridge works, including the Sethubandhan component.
24 October 2026
The Crime Branch has completed a further investigation into the 2008 Kerala University assistant recruitment case and will seek government sanction to prosecute seven people. They include former Vice-Chancellor Dr M.K. Ramachandran Nair, former Pro-Vice-Chancellor Dr V. Jayaprakash, former Registrar K.A. Hashim and former Syndicate members. A total of 33,933 candidates sat the written examination, which carried 100 marks. The written examination marks were later scaled to 75 with 25 marks for the interview, although the rules cap interview marks at 15 per cent. The case prepared by the Crime Branch is that the OMR answer sheets were destroyed before the interviews were conducted. Of the 1,401 candidates on the rank list, 181 were appointed, and 130 of those appointees remain in service. A chargesheet will be filed in court if sanction is granted, 18 years after the recruitment.
Candidates in the written examination:
33,933
Persons to be prosecuted:
7
Rule cap on interview marks:
15 per cent
Why it matters for exams: The interview-mark cap of 15 per cent and the office-holders named make this a clean governance and university-administration question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
OMR Optical Mark Recognition — The machine-read answer sheet format used in the examination.
24 October 2026
The Kerala Fisheries Department has stepped up action against the catching of juveniles of edible and commercially important fish, to protect fish stocks and the marine ecosystem. Awareness campaigns are to be organised and inspections intensified in the coastal districts, and the Fisheries Director has asked for an action plan to be prepared within two days. In the current financial year the department has collected Rs 36.15 lakh in fines from 54 vessels found violating the rules. Fishermen's organisations have separately asked for a revision of the Minimum Legal Size, which the department fixed for 55 fish species in 2018. The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute is in talks with state governments on a unified Minimum Legal Size for popular species.
Fines collected this financial year:
Rs 36.15 lakh
Vessels fined:
54
Species with a Minimum Legal Size:
55
Why it matters for exams: Minimum Legal Size, CMFRI and juvenile fishing are standard environment and fisheries questions for Kerala PSC and UPSC.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
MLS Minimum Legal Size — The smallest size at which a fish species may lawfully be caught.
CMFRI Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute — The ICAR institute at Kochi that studies India's marine fisheries.
24 October 2026
The National Highways Authority of India has begun installing noise barriers along the 12.75-km Aroor-Thuravoor elevated highway in Alappuzha district. This is the first time such barriers are being installed on a road in Kerala. More than half the barriers are in place and the work is to be completed in a month. The panels are made of translucent polycarbonate, each 1.5 m in height, and are fixed above boundary walls along the outer edges of the elevated corridor. They are expected to cut traffic noise by about 20 to 30 decibels. Ashoka Buildcon Ltd is handling the work. The elevated highway is scheduled for completion by a revised deadline of March 2027.
Length of the elevated highway:
12.75 km
Expected noise reduction:
about 20 to 30 decibels
Panel height:
1.5 m
Revised completion deadline:
March 2027
Why it matters for exams: A named first for the state, with a measurable figure, is exactly the kind of infrastructure fact asked in Kerala PSC current affairs.
Kerala PSCUPSC
25 October 2026
The Wayanad district administration has banned tourism, trekking and the working of resorts and homestays in disaster-prone areas of the district for October 25. District Collector V Chelsasini, who chairs the District Disaster Management Authority, issued the order and directed local body secretaries to move people in vulnerable areas to safety. The Meppadi grama panchayat secretary and the Vellarimala village officer were asked jointly to shift residents near the Anakkampoyil-Kalladi tunnel road construction site. Penal action under Section 51(b) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 was warned for violations. Collectors in Kozhikode, Malappuram and Wayanad declared a holiday for Sunday classes at religious institutions, tuition centres, parallel colleges and special coaching classes, while previously scheduled examinations were allowed to go ahead.
Districts with Sunday class holiday:
Kozhikode, Malappuram and Wayanad
Penal provision cited:
Section 51(b) of the Disaster Management Act
Wayanad District Collector:
V Chelsasini
Why it matters for exams: Section 51(b) of the Disaster Management Act and the District Disaster Management Authority's chairing by the Collector are directly examinable points of disaster administration.
Kerala PSCUPSC
24 October 2026
The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation's cargo service has been revived by the Transport Department under Transport Minister C P John. The service was first started in 2020 and had stopped since. Rates begin at Rs 50, and for consignments above 100 kg the rate starts at Rs 2.50 a kg, with charges varying by distance and weight and separate rates for bulk cargo. The first consignment under the revived service was one tonne of mobile phones brought from Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram airport and sent on by hired truck to Aluva. The Minister flagged off the service at the cargo terminal of Thiruvananthapuram domestic airport and said the project, which is part of the government's hundred-day programme, was a major step in the Corporation's history.
Rate above 100 kg:
from Rs 2.50 a kg
Minimum charge:
Rs 50
Service first started:
2020
Why it matters for exams: KSRTC's non-passenger businesses and the hundred-day programme are routine Kerala PSC current affairs material.
Kerala PSC
24 October 2026
Students of the Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Karamana, Thiruvananthapuram, marked the ninetieth anniversary of the Temple Entry Proclamation by distributing copies of it in houses and public spaces on Saturday. The Proclamation was issued by Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, the ruler of the erstwhile Travancore kingdom, on November 12, 1936. It opened the doors of Hindu temples in the State to marginalised communities. A copy of the Proclamation held by the Archives department was received by the school's students and teachers and then distributed to houses, residents' associations, shops and libraries. A year-long programme has been planned, including a rally from East Fort to the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple and meetings with historians.
Date of the Proclamation:
November 12, 1936
Issued by:
Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma
Kingdom:
Travancore
Why it matters for exams: The Temple Entry Proclamation, its date and the ruler who issued it are among the most frequently asked facts in Kerala history papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
The Kannur district administration, which keeps the district's Disaster Management Plan and is running the ELECTION 2026 work for eleven Assembly constituencies from 006 PAYYANNUR to 016 Peravoor, publishes the district's own profile. As per 2011 census, population in the District is about 7.56 percentage of the total population of the State. Out of 25.23 lakhs population in the District, 8.82 lakhs persons are from rural area and 16.41 lakhs from urban area. Rural population constitutes 34.95 percent and urban population is 65.05 percentage to total population in the District. Child population in the age group 0-6 years is 274318, which is 10.87 percent to total population in the District. The same profile gives the district area as 2,966 km², the climate as humid climate, the annual rainfall as 3438 mm, the mean maximum temperature as 35° Celsius and the mean minimum as 20° Celsius. The administration's own listing places the district at Subdivisions(2), Taluks(5), Villages(132), Block Panchayaths(11), muncipalities(9) and Corporations(1).
District population:
25.23 lakhs
Urban share:
65.05 percentage
District area:
2,966 km²
Annual rainfall:
3438 mm
Child population (0-6 years):
274318
Why it matters for exams: District-level Census shares and administrative units are standard Kerala PSC and SSC questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
Block Panchayath — The middle tier of rural local government in Kerala, between the grama panchayat and the district panchayat.
Child population (0-6 years) — The Census count of children below the age of six, reported separately from the general population.
Background
Wayanad is the Kerala district whose plateau lies inside the Western Ghats, and the district administration's own profile explains both its name and its forest cover. Wayanad District came into existence on 1st November, 1980 as the 12th District of Kerala consisting of Mananthavady, Sulthanbathery and Vythiri Taluks. The name Wayanad is derived from Vayal Nadu which means the land of paddy fields. It is a picturesque plateau situated at a height between 700 meters and 2100 meters above the mean sea level, nested among the mountains of the Western Ghats on the Eastern portion of North Kerala and on the sides of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka States. The District was carved out from the then Kozhikode and Kannur Districts. About 885.92 sq.km of area is under forest. The culture of Wayanad is mainly tribal oriented, and the district is described as perhaps one of the biggest foreign exchange earners of the State, with its production of cash crops like pepper, cardamom, coffee, tea, spices and other condiments.
Order of formation:
12th District of Kerala
Taluks at formation:
Mananthavady, Sulthanbathery and Vythiri
Area under forest:
About 885.92 sq.km
Height of the plateau:
Between 700 meters and 2100 meters above mean sea level
Why it matters for exams: The order in which Kerala's districts were formed, and the taluks each began with, are recurring Kerala PSC questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
Vayal Nadu — The phrase the district administration gives as the origin of the name Wayanad, meaning the land of paddy fields.
Cash crop — A crop grown for sale rather than for the grower's own use.
Background
Kasaragod is the district that closes Kerala at its northern end, and that position is what its own district administration uses to describe it. Lying at the northern tip of Kerala bounded by the Western ghats in the east and Arabian sea in the west, twelve rivers flow across its terrain. There are 12 rivers in this district. The longest is Chandragiri (105 kms) originating from Pattimala in Coorg, and it embraces the sea at Thalangara, near Kasargod. The river assumes its name Chandragiri from the name of the place of its source Chandragupta Vasti, where the great Maurya emperor Chandragupta is said to have spent his last days as a sage. On the name of the district the administration records different views: one view is that it is the combination of two Sanskrit words kaasaara, which means lake or pond, and kroda, which means a place where treasure is kept; another view is that it is the place where Kaasaraka trees are in abundance. The landscape is dotted with tiled-roof buildings, topped with the famous Kasaragod tiles made with the local hard red clay and typically walled with laterite blocks.
Rivers in the district:
12
Longest river:
Chandragiri (105 kms)
Source of the Chandragiri:
Pattimala in Coorg
Where the Chandragiri meets the sea:
Thalangara, near Kasargod
Why it matters for exams: The longest river of a Kerala district and the origin of the district's name are classic Kerala PSC recall questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
Laterite — A reddish soil and rock that is cut into blocks and used for building walls in Kerala.
Coorg — The name used on the district page for the upland region in Karnataka where the Chandragiri rises.